IN DRUG WAR, CZAR TEAMS WITH CLERGY

]TULSA, Okla. -- The nation's drug czar recruited Tulsa religious leaders
Saturday in the war on drugs.

The call to arms came as John Walters, director of National Drug Control
Policy, held his first news conference since announcing Thursday his
national drive to enlist faith-based youth groups in anti-drug programs.
The effort is the Bush administration's latest effort to expand the role of
religious organizations in government services.

Saying he visited Tulsa in part because of "violence that is taking too
many lives," Walters met with Christian and Muslim representatives. Jewish
leaders, unable to attend because of the Sabbath, endorsed the program in
writing.

The city has been plagued by a string of shootings believed to be tied to
gangs and drugs.

"We know that youth who are involved in their faith are many times less
likely to be involved in self-destructive behaviors," Walters said.

The government's brochure, "Pathways to Prevention," encourages working
antidrug messages into sermons, suggests youth leaders discuss what their
faith teaches about drug abuse and that they lead prayers asking for
strength for youth to say no to "bad influences."